In what is another major blow to the certifications of the Boeing 737 MAX 7 the U.S. government watchdog will evaluate the Federal Aviation Administration’s oversight of the aircraft program.
The Transportation Department’s Office of Inspector General will audit the FAA’s oversight of the inclusion of MCAS software, which has previously been alleged to be a factor in two deadly MAX crashes in 2018 and 2019, according to a memo from the OIG.
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Seeking Alpha says that the OIG plans to start its audit later this month, according to the memo.
The website said that “last month the WSJ reported that U.S. flight-safety officials asked Boeing to review its safety documents for the 737 MAX 7 in another possible obstacle to receiving approval for the airplane before a federal deadline expires this year.”
This is an extract from the memo:
“In light of these events, the Chairmen of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure and its Subcommittee on Aviation requested that we evaluate FAA’s oversight activities related to the Boeing 737 MAX AOA disagree alert and the inclusion of MCAS in the original design. This request builds on two of our previous reports and one ongoing project about the 737 MAX.
Accordingly, we are initiating an audit of FAA’s oversight activities of two targeted elements of the Boeing 737 MAX: (1) the inoperability of the AOA disagree alert on the majority of the MAX fleet in 2019 and (2) the inclusion of MCAS as part of the speed trim in the 737 MAX design. Specifically, we will evaluate FAA’s compliance with applicable statutes, regulations, and policies in overseeing Boeing actions concerning the two areas.
We plan to begin the audit later this month and will contact your audit liaison to schedule an entrance conference. We will conduct our work at FAA Headquarters and the FAA regional office in Seattle, WA. If you have any questions, please contact me or Marshall Jackson, Program Director.”
